Men’s soccer suffered its second Atlantic 10 loss to conference foe George Mason Saturday.
The Patriots (2-6-1, 1-0-0 A-10) topped the Colonials (2-6-1, 0-2-0 A-10) 2-1 after 90 hard-fought minutes. GW extended its losing streak this season to four games, losing three of the four by a one-goal margin.
“Today hurts,” head coach Craig Jones said. “The guys are down. It’s starting to take its toll a little bit on some guys, but I’ve got to play the guys that are in the right frame of mind staying upbeat, staying positive and still believing in us as a group and as a team.”
Senior midfielder Max Holdsworth netted the lone goal for the Colonials, and graduate student midfielder and forward Haukur Hilmarsson led the team with six shots. GW outshot George Mason 4-1, pelting 20 balls toward the Patriots’ net.
George Mason broke the deadlock and scored 24 minutes into the game. Senior midfielder Ryan Mingachos redirected a cross into the box, heading the ball into the corner of the Colonials’ net.
Freshman goalkeeper Justin Grady – who started for his second time this season – could not block the shot, giving George Mason a 1–0 lead. Grady allowed two goals on two shots faced and did not record a save.
The Colonials tried to respond quickly, taking three shots at the net, but none were on frame. At the end of the half, GW trailed George Mason 1–0.
In the second half, the Colonials sent three shots toward the George Mason net and one landed on frame, forcing sophomore goalkeeper Brison Moorhead to make a save.
Twenty minutes into the second half, the Patriots found the back of the net again, securing their second goal of the day. The ball hovered over a GW defender on a counterattack and into the box where senior forward Tunde Akinlosotu finished the play and lifted the Patriots 2–0.
The Colonials recovered and continued to put offensive pressure on the Patriots, drawing a foul inside the box two minutes after the Patriots’ goal. Holdsworth slotted the kick into the bottom right corner and cut down the deficit to one goal.
“We rallied, we went one goal down, two goals down and we fought back and got that one goal back,” Holdsworth said. “It was important to put some pressure back on them, but we dominated large parts of the game here. We were just unable to find that final bit of luck to get that goal but we need to take that in tow.”
Eight more GW shots left the feet of the Colonials, but they could not reach the back of the net. Hilmarsson notched three shots, one of them on goal, in the final three minutes of the game.
Graduate student midfielder Matt Sipowicz said the team is frustrated with its play over the past few games, and players are looking for the positive elements of each game.
“There are positives even though you lose,” Sipowicz said. “Just finding a way to keep our heads up and channeling the frustration into better results, better performances.”
Junior forward and midfielder Oscar Haynes Brown saw his first action of the season, coming off the bench in the 33rd minute of the first half. He saw 25 minutes of play and recorded one shot of the day.
The Colonials return to action at No. 3 Virginia Tuesday. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
